There's a large fleet of these in service. What was the transmission manufacturer's name........? Something like "Hornby".No mention of any clockwork options. I know it probably sounds ludicrous but could it actually work ? .
The universal issue with these systems, whether 100 years ago or today, is they cannot be made wholly reliable and the contact point in the roadway risks remaining live despite every safety precaution the engineers could think up - and of course, with umpteen safety interlocks reliability goes down.Don't know about Liverpool but several tramways had a stud contact system. A magnet under the tram would operate some kind of switch under each stud to energise it, and it would drop back after the tram had gone (or sometimes not, much to the discomfort of the local horses).
There are two modern systems that do roughly the same thing in more advanced ways, produced by Alstom and Ansaldo.
No mention of any clockwork options. I know it probably sounds ludicrous but could it actually work ? With resources becoming limited apart from the increasing number of people it would be a good way to employ the idle time of many as winders to wind up the mainsprings. It would solve the unemployment problem and help the fitness of the nation if the mainspring winders were designed on the lines of exercise machines. Three problems solved in one - reduce unemployment, improve the nation's health and provide a cheap, green transport solution.
The Class 139 'Parry People Mover' is essentially a clockwork unit, albeit with an internal combustion engine to wind it up, and an electric transmission.
http://www.busandcoachbuyer.com/ele...operating-six-optare-versa-evs-new-park-ride/Two short charge power points were installed at the Poppleton Bar site, designed to give vehicles a quick boost while in service. Installed at First’s depot are facilities enabling the buses to be charged overnight, giving them an 80 to 90 mile range (depending on operating conditions). According to Nigel, this range has proved sufficient in service so far.
Surely mechanical transmission via a variator? I thought Parry didn't do electrickery.
they said the only way they could afford all those batteries was because there was a nuclear submarine being decommissioned and they bought them second hand otherwise the cost would be prohibitive.
Are you sure it wasn't a Diesel-electric submarine? They are more common than nuclear, and have huge battery banks.
Just thinking about the batteries alone the amount of acid required to run them would be massive
Indeed and presumably Network Rail are not doing this for entertainment value, aren't they looking for a range of about 40 miles.
So maybe you could have a battery electric for instance that did Cardiff to Maesteg without the need to electrify the Maesteg branch, just put a short section at the end of the line in case the juice gets low.
Indeed it would be even easier to engineer if you were to make a battery-third rail unit since the converter would not require a giant transformer.
There is a battery train in operation in Japan, the EV-E301 series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EV-E301_series
The Wikipedia article claims one train in service so far but further units should be able to replace all existing DMUs on the Karasuyama branch, which although un-electrified itself, is served by some trains running over the electrified Tōhoku Main Line from Utsunomiya Station. The battery train can recharge whilst running under the wires on the main line or at a charging point at the branch terminus, a short section of catenary in the platform with a local power supply.
This type of system would be pretty much ideal for the Ambergate-Matlock branch once Derby to Sheffield is electrified.
Apparently the 379 has been discounted from either of the Southern lines Hurst Green to Uckfield and back is outside the battery range and a much longer layover at Ashford would be required meaning extra stock.And the many Cornish branches, should the wires ever get down that far south!
They could be trialled on the Uckfield line in service as well.
This type of system would be pretty much ideal for the Ambergate-Matlock branch once Derby to Sheffield is electrified.